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In Saratov, a major city on the Volga River, Sergei Gendin, the press secretary of the regional branch of the Yabloko party, has been detained. This was reported by SOTA.
Further details about what happened are unknown.
18:25 Sergei Gendin was detained across the road from the monument to scientist Nikolai Vavilov, where people were laying flowers today in memory of Navalny. This was noted by the publication 7×7.
The local branch of Yabloko clarifies that Gendin’s current whereabouts are unknown. He was detained by police officers from station No. 6, but the office of the Human Rights Commissioner in Saratov region stated that he is not being held at that station.
20:10 Sergei Gendin has been found, writes the local branch of Yabloko.
The activist has been charged under articles on displaying extremist symbols (Article 20.3 of the Administrative Code) and disobeying the police (Article 19.3 of the Administrative Code).
He is being held at the station pending trial.
5 June Sergei Gendin is free. He wrote about this on his Telegram channel.
6 June The Frunzensky District Court of Saratov dropped one of the two administrative cases against Sergei Gendin, reports Svobodnye Novosti, citing the press service of the court.
The court closed the case on displaying prohibited symbols due to the absence of an offence.
The outcome of the second charge—disobeying the police—remains unclear.
16:40 Sergei Gendin has been fined 2,000 roubles (approx. US$22) for disobeying the police. This was reported by SOTA.
24 June Judge Zoya Levina of the Frunzensky District Court of Saratov did not see any reference in Sergei Gendin’s poster to the person or activities of Alexei Navalny. This became clear from a ruling published on the court’s website, which was noted by Mediazona.
On 4 June, Gendin laid flowers at the monument to scientist-geneticist Nikolai Vavilov, who died in Stalin’s camps, in central Saratov. He also placed a sheet of paper showing hands folded into a heart shape and the text: “Happy birthday, hero! In Russia’s prisons, hundreds of political prisoners continue to be detained and to die.”
He was detained the same day. Police drew up a report against the activist for displaying extremist symbols over this image, considering it a reference to Alexei Navalny.
The judge disagreed with the police, noting that the sheet featured no symbols or insignia “that could in any way in the public sphere be associated with the activities or the person” of Navalny.